ITH Poker Forum

[omega man]

well this post is going to be a bit longish,but i will try and put it into as few a bits as possible.
First of all i assume anyone will start with 300big bets for any given level and btw, this works i think no matter what level you are starting at.
For the last year or so i have been wondering how best to move up the limits,but i have had trouble with variance, the negative variety,i have had weeks where i have lost over $500 at 2/4 for instance.
Now there are alot of factors that go into a losing or winning week.One big factor for me since i have started having alot more success is mchilgers tip in his book on page 263 on game selection.
One thing i try and do when i play a session is play a set number of hands i want to play before i quit for the session,this might mean playing several tables because i am chasing the fish around.
Now lets get to the meaty part you want to move up a level,well in a normal session i will play 500 hands,except when i am moving up a level.
I will now play 250 hand sessions in case i have to move down again, recoup any lossses and try again.
Once i have made 25 big bets after a 250 hand session,in other words if i am playing 1/2 and want to move to 2/4 i might have say $1210 to start with and play a session or two and get to $1270 then play 250 hands and get to $1320 now i can revert to 500 hand sessions,as i now regard myself as established at the new level.
I also ought to point out that i play as far as possible 2 tables at a time.
Now you might be wondering can i really hack it at a higher level,well the best way or to answer that question is to say,just look at your results over alot of hands and given enough HANDS you will average your win rate eventually.
Now how best to handle variance,well i can only explain how i managed it.
Btw i have managed to move from 1/2-2/4,2/4-3/6 and 3/6 to 5/10 in the last 7 weeks alone.
When i started play at a table at 1/2 i started with $100 at each table,and i gave mental points as to what was deemed a bit down,in trouble maybe,and in deep trouble,these drop points were 80-100,60-80 and below 60.
When u move up u just divide everything as if you are playing 1/2 so at 5/10 i just divide by 5 or divide by 10 then double it.
You need to mentally do this especially playing 2 tables in my opinion.
When i started the move from 1/2-2/4 i had to move down once only.
When i started to move from 2/4-3/6 i had to move down 3 tmes.
When i moved from 3/6-5/10 i have not yet had to move down at all.
Obviously you always need to try and improve your game and my game improved along this way,but not from playing higher limits,in fact the ask an expert panel is a great idea and helped me lot in one area.
Well i said it was long i await the thoughts of anyone that wishes to reply.

[jdcnb]

I've been playing for about 8 months now and have devoured every book, etc that I can get my hands on regarding holdem. I have my good days and my bad days..bad beats, etc, like everyone else..

So here's my story. I play on Pokerstars and Fulltilt, and seem to do pretty well when I play $13 S &G, 6 players max. I'm placing 1st or 2nd every 2 out of 3 games I play. So that's good. However, when I play cash games, micro limit around one/two cent or two/five cent limits, I consistantly lose It seems like I just can't get ahead cause these guys just play any 2 cards they get, and usually suck out.

I admire people who build up their bank roll gradually, starting at these limits and moving up as their bank roll grows But I can't seem to get there . I've observed tables at higher limits, $1/$2 , etc, and I actually think I could play those limits better, as I've gained a good understanding of pot odds, etc. I've given up on figuring pot odds and implied odds and outs at the microlimits. It just doesn't seem to work out, as people just don't respect your raises, position, etc.

I read an article by Chris Ferguson, who said he challenged himself to build a bank roll from $0 to $20,000, but how difficult it was making his first $100. He said it took him 6 months to get that first $100...lol Negreanu is currently doing the same challenge.I'm not sure where he is in his bank roll right now.

So my question is, because I'm struggling so much with the micro-limit cash games, and getting frustrated, should I just invest $500 or so and try some slightly higher cash games to see how I do? It would be nice to play with some people who actually somewhat know how to play....lol or is this just an excuse on my part not to work my way up????

I live in Texas where we don't have local casinos, so that is not an option. I play the freerolls at a local bar, and deal with the same type of people who play any and every 2 cards, etc.. and just don't feel like I gain good experience there

Any feedback would be cool...thanks a million

[omega man]

Hi well my post was over 6 yrs ago and alot has changed in that time,including US players being barred from playing at my site which is pokerstars.
That was black friday as we call it in poker slang.April of this year.
I think you are playing 6max in cash games is that right or is it full ring?
I would suggest if you are playing 6 max to stop and move to full ring and try again.
6max is like playing roulette.
I have now played over one million hands playing mainly full ring,but i have played some 6 max too.
I have managed to make over $21,000 maybe $21,500,one third is table profits and 2 thirds is loyalty/bonus's.
Because the volumes have gone down so much my current game is 0.25/0.50 playing 4 tables.
I have suspended play as i am too busy at college studying,hopefully i will resume soon.
I only have about 4,000 FPP's on pokerstars right now,and no cash.